Christoph Willibald Gluck

Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (German:[ˈkʁɪstɔf ˈvɪlɪbalt ˈɡlʊk]; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate (now part of Germany) and raised in Bohemia, he gained prominence at the Habsburg court at Vienna, where he brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years. With a series of radical new works in the 1760s, among them Orfeo ed Euridice and Alceste, he broke the stranglehold that Metastasianopera seria had enjoyed for much of the century.

The strong influence of French opera in these works encouraged Gluck to move to Paris, which he did in November 1773. Fusing the traditions of Italian opera and the French national genre into a new synthesis, Gluck wrote eight operas for the Parisian stages. One of the last of these, Iphigénie en Tauride, was a great success and is generally acknowledged to be his finest work. Though he was extremely popular and widely credited with bringing about a revolution in French opera, Gluck's mastery of the Parisian operatic scene was never absolute, and after the poor reception of his Echo et Narcisse he left Paris in disgust and returned to Vienna to live out the remainder of his life.

Scythes

The Zanclaeans had contacted Ionian leaders to invite colonists to join them in founding a new city on the Kale Acte (Καλὴ Ἀκτή), or north shore of Sicily. This offer had been accepted by a large number of Samians, together with some exiles from Miletus.

But when the colonists arrived at Locri, Scythes and the Zanclaeans were engaged in hostilities against the Sicels. Meanwhile, the Samians were persuaded by Anaxilas of Rhegium to take advantage of Scythes' absence, and occupy the city of Zancle itself. In response, Scythes asked for the assistance of his ally, Hippocrates, tyrant of Gela.

However, Hippocrates proved to be just as untrustworthy as the Samians. On his arrival, he placed Scythes and his brother, Pythogenes, in chains and sent them as prisoners to Inycum. He then betrayed his allies the Zanclaeans so that they fell into the hands of the Samians.

Willibald

Information about his life is largely drawn from the Hodoeporicon of Saint Willibald, a text written in the 8th century by Huneberc, an Anglo-Saxonnun from Heidenheim am Hahnenkamm who knew Willibald and his brother personally. The text of the Hodoeporicon was dictated to Huneberc by Willibald shortly before he died.

In the IliadPoseidon impersonates Thoas to rally Idomeneus so that he will prevent Hector, who had just killed the sea god's grandson, and his forces from routing the Argives. Later, when Hector has broken through to the ships and the Trojan advance is pressing hard upon them, Thoas advises the Greeks' best warriors to make a stand against Hector and the advancing Trojans in order to allow the rest of the Greek army to retreat to safety. In the Aeneid, Aeneas names Thoas as one of those Greeks hidden within the Trojan Horse.

Thoas (king of Corinth)

In Greek mythology, Thoas was a son of Ornytion and a grandson of Sisyphus. According to Pausanias, Thoas remained in Corinth, succeeding his father as its ruler, while his brother Phocus led a colony to Tithorea. Thoas was the father of Damophon, Damophon of Propodas, and Propodas of Doridas and Hyantidas. During the reign of the latter two, Corinth was seized by the Dorians under the command of Aletes, son of Hippotes. The brothers handed control of Corinth to him and were allowed to remain in the city, while the rest of the people were expelled.

References

Thoas (Tauri king)

In Greek mythology, Thoas was a son of the god Dionysus and Ariadne, the daughter of Cretan king Minos. Some, however, consider him to be Theseus’s son, together with his brother Oenopion. Rhadamanthus, Ariadne's uncle, bequeathed Thoas the island of Lemnos, over which he reigned until his daughter Hypsipyle, unable to kill her own father to avenge the offenses against the Lemnian women, tied him secretly in an oarless boat and sent him adrift into the Aegean Sea. He was carried to the island of Oinoie, where he consorted with the nymph of the island, also called Oinoie, and had by her a son Sicinus, who later had the island renamed after himself. Thoas eventually arrived at Tauris, in the Crimea, where he was made king and where Artemis installed Agamemnon's daughter Iphigeneia as her temple's priestess.

In the play Iphigenia in Tauris, Iphigenia is ordered to execute her brother, Orestes, after he tries to steal a statue of Artemis. When the siblings discover each other's identity, they discuss ways to escape. Orestes wants to kill King Thoas, but Iphigenia suggests that they trick him. Iphigenia meets Thoas and claims that the statue has been tainted with the sin of matricide. She says that the statue has turned and closed its eyes. Thoas believes her and allows her to wash Orestes and his traveling companion Pylades. He even gives her freedom to do it in privacy, giving the order that everybody should stay indoors. Iphigenia, Orestes, Pylades, and the Greek slaves all escape with the help of Athena. A messenger relays this to Thoas and he immediately sends his men to attack. Athena intervenes and convinces him to let them go.

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